


Ethereal World

by Graychocobo



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Black Mage - Ignis, Demon Prince Noctis, Gargoyle - Gladio, Halloween Inspired, M/M, Monster!AU, More Tags Will Be Added as the Story Goes On, Multi, No Beta, Were-Cat Prompto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-08-21 03:41:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16568969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graychocobo/pseuds/Graychocobo
Summary: In a land of twilight, Insomnia, the young Prince encounters a mysterious stranger while on the look out for a new familiar. There is just something about this man that doesn't seem right. What does he seem to want with Noctis' newest familiar?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was something I got the idea to write before Halloween. Unfortunately, I'm an incredibly slow writer and was not able to get this posted before then. Well I guess it is better late than never right? I mean who doesn't like a spooky au setting?
> 
> Just a side note:  
> [ Noctis – Devil Type. Big Black bat wings.]   
> [Ignis – Black mage. Facial burns present, but is able to see using his mind’s eye instead.]   
> [Gladio – Gargoyle type. His ‘tattoo’ is what indicates what his true form looks like. (he’s a griffin style gargoyle) He has been watching over Noctis since he was a baby. While he is ‘awake’ he looks almost like a normal person. When he is in a weakened state he turns into a griffin like statue until he recovers or is given more magic by noctis.]   
> [Prompto – A were-kitten. First appears as a tiny golden ‘Scottish fold’ with two tails. Once he become Noctis’ familiar his ability to keep his completely human form a little easier. When he gets spooked or scared, he turns back into his kitten form.]

♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠ 

The land of Tartaros was a magical and mysterious place. It was a place where creatures and monsters of all shapes and sizes lived in relative peace. New arrivals popped up with little to no warning and little memory of the world that they originally hailed from. Unlike the Northern Garden, and its heavenly like atmosphere, the citizens could take on all sorts of appearances.  It wasn’t too unusual for some of Tartaros’ people to only look vaguely human like. 

  At the center of it all laid the capital of Insomnia, where people lived in almost a perpetual twilight. The rulers of Tartaros lived in the citadel in the center of the city, The Royal Calum Family. They were blessed with strong magical powers, but were rather benevolent rulers. 

 Legend has stated that the price of such infinite power was the user’s sanity. If the magic is not able to be contained in the original vessel then it will run amok and eventually consume everything that the person once was.  In order to control their ever-growing power that they must share their magic with only those whom they trust with their life. Those who are gifted the use of their lord’s magic are then bound into a familiar’s servant contract and share the burden of carrying the immense weight of sharing their life force with their master.  

While most people with an aptitude for magic only required one or two familiars in a life time the royal family required far more. People with strong magic have been said to feel the pull of their magic leading them towards their ideal familiars. It is as if the magic is showing which sort of person makes the best container for the type of magic the original user has.  Royal children often needed to have a bound familiar before they reached puberty. Usually the first person to be bound is the first friend the child makes. After that it is rare for one to need another familiar until they reach the adult hood. The current prince already had two, and by Tartaros standards he was still a child. 

♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠ 

“Noctis! The council is enraged that you have declined yet another candidate for your next familiar.” The cloaked man dictated as he adjusted his glasses.  His face scared over one of his eyes. Old burn wounds that were hidden behind the tinted glass. “While I know that this traditionally is a very personal decision.... You do understand that if you can’t find another familiar soon that your magic will become too much for us to bear, right? We might have no other choice in the matter as long as your magic continues to grow in such an alarming rate...”  

“Ignis, Stop being such a worry wort.” The Prince replied as he stretched his arms over his head and let his large black wings sit freely. “You act as if I haven’t been seeking a new familiar at all for the past couple of weeks. We just haven’t found the right sort of person to add to our group yet. Besides I can feel my magic calling out to someone in the city.  It is faint, but I know they are out there. Anyways, isn’t it better to bond with the one my magic is seeking out anyways?” 

“Be it as it may I’m afraid we might not be able to afford the luxury of taking time with this one.” The man called Ignis replied. “Your father is growing more concerned by the day. Please do understand that while he does not wish to force you to form a contract with Lady Lunafreya against your will he is only trying to protect you from the dangers of being destroyed by your own powers.” 

“Luna already has her own responsibilities to her own people in the Garden. She loves her land and her people with all of her heart. I’m not about to force my childhood friend to sacrifice all of that to live here in Insomnia with us. She wouldn’t be able to be happy here.” Noctis replied. “Besides her brother isn’t very keen on the idea either. I’d rather not have to deal with him more than I have to.”  

A massive man who was walking quietly besides Prince Noctis finally entered the conversation. “You have to admit that Prince Charmless here has a point, Iggy. Besides this isn’t the first time they tried to force their own political agendas on him. Before Luna, they wanted to have him form the contract with that Drautos guy with the shady connections. Even Cor was against that one.” 

“I’m well aware of that, Gladio.” Ignis sighed. “I’m am not fond of giving into them either, but time is running out.  I fear we may have only a month left before we have to swallow our pride and accept one of their offers.”  

“Well....I’m going to refuse to talk about any more idiotic ideas that involve dealing with potential political discord.” Gladio stated. “Nothing that involves political families either. Some of those guys just want to get their hands on the position of Noctis’ familiar in order to gain more political power, and those are exactly the people who would not keep Noctis’ best intentions in mind.”  

“Well hopefully tomorrow I can spend more time actually looking for my own familiar rather than being stuck in boring meetings about the council about the subject. “Noctis yawned. “Sometimes I swear they just love to meddle in other people’s personal business.”  

“Indeed.” Ignis smartly replied.  

“Think it’s about time for us to hit the hay for the night?” Gladio responded with a yawn.  

“I suppose it will be alright to retire for the evening.” Ignis sighed. “Although I will expect Noct to be ready to start the day nice and early tomorrow.”  

Prince Noctis rolled his eyes. It wasn’t like Ignis ever let him sleep in anyways. Or at least he hasn’t ever since he first became Noctis’ familiar. “Yay. Bed time."  

Soon enough the three men retired to the Prince’s wing of the citadel for the night.  

♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛ 

Ignis had awoken the Prince far too early in the morning. Although that could be said about every morning. It was widely known how much the Prince enjoyed his sleep. He could probably sleep through an entire millennium if someone let him. By the time he was awake enough to be functioning his breakfast was already prepared and Gladio was already finished with his morning practice and was eating his own meal.  

On the long table in the dining area sat various breakfast foods. Eggs, Bacon, Toast, hash browns, to a paleo meat breakfast and green smoothie that Gladio was already eating. Already waiting in the Prince’s usual spot was a glass of juice made out of all sorts of fruit.  

“Thanks specs.” Noctis said as he took a big bite out of the piece of toast in his hand. “As usual this is delicious.”  

“Enjoy.” Ignis responded with a small smile on his face. 

“So, what’s the game plan for after breakfast?” Gladio inquired in between sips of his green smoothie.  

“If at all possible, I believe we should depart from the citadel as soon as possible.” Ignis replied. “Perhaps we should split up and try to explore the town. Since our time is running thin it would be best to cover as much ground as we can. I’m sure that someone out there will be the perfect candidate for us.” 

“Sounds good enough for me.” Noctis replied. “I’m thinking that I’ll head to the old castle plaza on the outskirts of town. While it is rare, occasionally someone will pop up there. Since it is farther from the citadel it might explain why their presence seems so faint to me.” 

“I’ll head to the city proper.” Gladio replied. “Iris has already been on the lookout for some candidates at my father’s request. Although I have no idea if she has made any progress yet. In any case my sister seems to be quite friendly with most of the people around, so if I feel our magic acting up then I can have her identify who they are.”  

Ignis took another sip from his black coffee. “In that case I’ll check in with the new recruits for the Crown’s Guard.  While it might be unlikely perhaps, they have already been right under our noses this entire time. Also, it would be good to scope out any families that are just trying to use this occasion to try and earn political favors.” 

“Sounds like a plan then.” Noctis nodded as he played a bit with his breakfast on the plate in front of him. “Iggy....Since you are going to remain nearby make sure to at least let my father know of our intentions today. He might be able to come up with something to distract the council from trying to interfere.” 

The rest of their breakfast went by quickly. All of them eager to set out and find their ‘new’ companion.  One by one they began to go their separate ways, and agreed to meet by the Kenny Crow statue in the city plaza before the twilight darkened into the deep of night.  If by chance they found the missing link, then their linked magic would alert the others just by being near them.  

♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛ 

The Old Castle Plaza was just as abandoned and decrepit as it usually was.  As a small boy, Noctis used to use this place as his own little hideout. He hadn’t been there in over a decade or so, but this area hadn’t seemed to change one bit. While almost every fiber of Noctis’ being was telling him that no one was there, his magic on the other hand, seemed to indicate that he was going in the right direction.  

The Prince decided that the best thing to do would be to fly over the location. Normally this would be an action that the Prince would try and avoid since it tended to draw a lot of attention, but since he was so far away from the city proper it would be worth the risk.  From a higher vantage point he would be able to spot if anyone was hanging around. Noctis would also be able to spy spots that he would have to check out on foot. 

His attention was drawn to a figure by an abandoned bell tower.  Cautiously Noctis landed to check the person out. His magic was telling him that his new familiar was close by, but there was an ominous air surrounding the man. Something about him just seemed to be off about him.  

“The twilight is beautiful at this time of day. Such a shame that this place has been abandoned. The view from here is spectacular.” The man said as he turned around to greet Noctis.  “Don’t you think so as well?” 

The light seemed to illuminate the man’s figure. Several things stood out at first glance. The man’s face was obstructed by the hat and scarf that the stranger wore. Blood red hair peaked out. The stranger’s clothes were worn, old, and in tatters in some places. It was like seeing a living and breathing ghost from the past.  

“What’s that? Cat caught your tongue, child?” The man chuckled.  He started walking towards Noctis. Although there was nothing unusual about the way he moved each foot step seemed menacing. As if the man was a hunter stalking a new born calf. “No matter....I must be on my way now. I do hope you find what you are seeking, your Highness. Ta ta for now.”  

As soon as the man past the prince it was like he vanished into thin air. There was no sign of him anywhere. The Prince wasn’t sure what to make of it? He would never admit it out loud but something about that man made his hairs stand on end. One thing was for sure though, Noctis was relieved that whoever that was is gone now.  

After a few seconds Noctis was able to regain his focus on the task at hand. Upon still feeling the pull of his magic leading him forward he could start his search again. Now he at least knew for sure that the strange man he encountered was not in fact the once his magic was leading him to.  

The Prince made his way into the abandoned bell tower building where he hoped the one, he was looking for was contained within. There were doors anymore. The only thing keeping people out was some wooden planks nailed to the front of the building, but even that seemed to have been done half assed.  It was easy enough to remove the boards and go inside.  

There was a ton of dust inside. Enough that it made Noctis cough a few times. It was faint but the Prince could hear something moving on the floor above him. The sound was not like normal footsteps that you would hear a person make. Instead they seemed to be much smaller and lighter sounding.  

Noctis looked around for any clues to the owner of the foot prints. Nothing seemed to have been moved much inside, but very faintly he could make out what seemed to be a trail of tiny paw prints. With nothing else to go off of Noct decided to follow them to see where they lead.  

Sure enough, the tiny paw trail leads up a rickety flight of stairs. The upper floor was mostly clean surprisingly. It was nothing like the previous area.  A small table sat in the middle of the room with a single chair. Several crates and dressers lined the walls.  On the far end of the room was a makeshift bed made out of old linins.  

As the Prince entered the room, he could hear the faint sounds of something moving yet again. The sounds came from an area that had several crates stacked up. Curiously the Prince continued towards that direction and was amazed about what he had found.  

In a gap behind the boxes was a tiny golden kitten. The poor thing was shaking uncontrollably. Once it saw Noctis however it did its best to puff up and make probably the least threatening hiss in the world.  It would have been more intimidating if the hiss hadn’t come out as a squeak that broke half way through it.  

Still looking at the cat, Noctis could feel something inside him saying that this was going to be his new familiar. His magic had led the way to it and now it was unmistakable.  He had finally found it.  

His new familiar was going to be this kitten?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis and Prompto finally meet face to face.

Noctis looked down at the tiny kitten before him.  Bright blue eyes looked back at the prince. This was going to be his new familiar?

“Hey....I’m not going to hurt you. It’s okay now.” Noctis softly spoke as he kneeled down with a hand reached out. He was trying his hardest not to spook the already agitated kitten further. 

Not so trusting of the man before him the kitten attempted to back up even further away from the hand. In such a cramped space it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when the kitten found itself completely backed into a wall. Once the two tailed cat hit the wall it jumped in surprise and let out one of the most pathetic noises Noctis had ever heard and then flopped over showing belly. It took all the Prince had in him not to laugh at the comedic sight. The last thing he wanted to do was to was to make a bad first impression. 

“Let’s get you out of there.” Noctis carefully lifted the kitten out from his hiding spot and placed him on the floor of the main room. He hadn’t wanted to touch the kitten without its approval, but it he didn’t want to watch it potentially hurt itself in between the boxes. 

Once on the ground the kitten scurried a couple of feet away before returning his attention to the stranger. For a second Noctis wasn’t sure what was going on. Soon the kitten seemed to grow and morph until a blonde-haired young man was sitting on the floor in front of him. The boy’s clothes were in tatters but still held up enough to stay on. That is when it dawned on the Prince. This boy must be what they referred to as a were. A werecat to be exact. 

“You better not laugh.” The blonde said with a pout. “What are you doing hanging around here anyways? Doesn’t seem like you’re buddy buddy with that creep who has been hanging around here.....Or are you?”

The Prince hesitated for a moment. How much of a weirdo would he seem like if he answered that he was here for the boy in front of him. Like....Hey I know we just met and my magic guided me to you and we’re going to be together forever now. Even people who had their own familiars might be creeped out with that approach.

“D-Don’t worry. I have nothing to do with the man that was hanging outside of here.” Noctis replied as he changed the focus of the conversation to bide himself more time. . “It was just a coincidence that we both happened to be there at the same time. ”

“Really~?” The blonde looked a bit skeptical. “Well....whatever. Anyways, what brought you to this area? Not many people come all the way out here...No one really wants to visit an abandoned town.” 

“For nostalgia.” The Prince replied. It wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t the complete truth either. “I used to play around here as a little kid. I even had a secret hideout that I stored my childhood treasures in. I still like to check on it every once in a while. How about you? “

“I’d rather not go into too much detail, but let’s just say that I tend to get a bit overwhelmed when I go into town.” The blonde replied as he got off of the floor and dusted his pants off. “I draw too much attention. Not always the good kind you know?” He stated as he gestured towards his light golden hair. 

Ah. That explained a bit. Gold was a rather rare color in Tartaros. That was more of a Niflheim trait.  Unlike Insomnia with its eternal twilight, Niflheim was a land of endless snow. The land was an isolated place that was hard to get to. Hardly anyone left the region due to the harsh conditions. Still there were a handful of citizens in Insomnia who were of Niflheim heritage. 

“That sounds rough...” Noctis replied. Being able to draw unwanted attention was something that the Prince was well aware of. In the town it was almost impossible for him to go anywhere without someone recognizing him. 

“Anyways...it sounds like you’ve seen that ‘creep’ a lot around here.... He has a dangerous vibe to him. Is he the reason why you were hiding earlier?” The Prince inquired. With how defensive and scared the blonde had been something must be up.

“Duh. Dude.” The cat boy replied hastily. “He’s been following me for days now. No matter where I go, he always seems to pop up soon after. I don’t know what his deal is, but I’m not going to stick around to find out.” 

“Following you?” The Prince was now concerned. “How long has that been going on.”

“Yeah....Originally I am from the slums. There are all sorts of characters down there. Most of the people are good people though just trying to make a living.  Usually it is pretty quiet, but every once in a while, an unsavory character pops up and everyone goes on the alert.” The boy explained. “He started showing up around two months ago. At around the same time people started disappearing from the slums. A person going missing once in a blue moon isn’t unheard of, but the places the people were last seen and where that guy went matched up.  At first, I didn’t think much of it, but then I began noticing that he only showed up in areas I frequented. Eventually my foster parents put two and two together as well, and kicked me out in order to protect themselves and the other people in the slums. Since then I’ve been bouncing from place to place trying to lose him.” 

“So.....I don’t believe I caught your name yet. I’m Noct.” The Prince stated. 

“Prompto....” The Blonde murmured a bit taken back by the sudden turn in the conversation. 

“Prompto, huh? I think I have a proposition for you that you might like. You don’t have to agree right away, but~!” The Prince smiled. “You want to get to a place that that man can’t follow you to, right? Well....To be honest I was also out here looking for a candidate to agree to a familiar contract with me.  I live in the restricted zone of the Citadel where only the Royal Family, top military officials, and their retainers can enter. If you agree to the contract then you would be able to live there too, and Mr. Creepy won’t be able to follow you! Two birds. One stone.” 

Prompto’s face turned bright red. Had the guy basically proposed that he should move in with him!?  Wasn’t a familiar bond ceremony also something close to a marriage?  Growing up in the slums he had only ever heard of stories about becoming a familiar, and what it meant as a relationship. His mind was running a mile a minute and his heart was beating fast. Normally if anyone got even half as friendly as Noct was towards him he would have already bailed on the whole conversation and runaway. Somehow beyond his understanding he felt comfortable enough to spill his guts out to a guy he just met.  Prompto never really had anyone to give a damn about him, but here this beautiful stranger is offering to fix all of his problems for him and give him a place to call home. If this was legit than the offer would be too good to pass up, on the other hand it would be foolish to blindly agree without any sort of guarantee. 

“Prom? You gonna be okay?” Noctis said as he cast a worried glance.  This wasn’t the sort of reaction to his proposal he was expecting. 

Prompto took a few breaths before replying. As much as he wanted to say yes immediately he knew better to rush in head first. “Yeah, buddy.” He chuckled. “Uh.... Before I give you an answer...Would you mind it if we got out of here? Wouldn’t want to give Mr. Creepy Shadow guy a chance to show up again, yeah?” 

“Works for me.” The Prince said with a shrug as they made their way out of the building. “Anyways I figured that you should meet two of the guys you’ll be living with should you accept. They would be the ones handling moving you into the Citadel either way.” 

“Umm...ah....okay.” Prompto replied. “Let’s get out of here then!”

Within seconds Noctis had scooped Prompto off of his feet and took flight.  The poor blonde was so startled that he turned back into his kitten form, and meowed for dear life. Too bad the cat boy forgot to mention his terrible fear of heights.

♛

To be continued......


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter took me so long to post. (If you have read the most current chapter of my other fanfic Speechless Sunshine then you already know what is up. ) Between the holidays and a death in my family I just didn't have as much time to write as much as I wanted to. In other news, Happy New Years! May the new year be even better than the last one!   
> ˭̡̞(◞⁎˃ᆺ˂)◞*✰

The red hair man hummed a little tune as he wandered out of the shadows that had concealed him. There was no reason for him to hide anymore. He was all alone in the abandoned town now.  In the distance he saw the prince fly away with a little golden fluff ball towards the city proper. 

A smile crept onto his face. “Found you ~ ♪” He sang out in a mocking tone. “Worry not my little canary......You might think you will be out of my grasp, but fret not.... Swiftly you will be returned to your rightful place. Enjoy your taste of freedom while it lasts, my little bird. It will be gone before you know it.”

With a chuckle he turned around and made his way out of the city. “So much work left to be done.....The stage has only just been set and it is time for the pieces to fall into place. Soon, it will be time to take action.  I hope my dear nephew is prepared for what is to come. The game is only just beginning...I best be on my way.” 

The coat that the red hair man wore glowed red before turning into a giant pair of black feathered wings. With a powerful flap of his wings the man lifted off from the ground. Within moments he had taken off into the twilight sky heading towards whatever destination he had in mind. 

♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛♛

At the Kenny the Crow meeting place Gladio and Ignis were waiting anxiously. Both of them could feel that their newest partner had been found by the Prince.  They had nothing else to do but wait until their Prince returned. 

“Come on Iggy....Pacing around with a scowl on your face isn’t going to make them show up any quicker.” Gladio said as he stretched his arms above his head. 

“I am not scowling.” Ignis responded with a glare. “How can you be so calm about this?  Right now, we have no idea who exactly is going to be joining our ranks as Noctis’ familiar! This is big. Once word gets out that he found someone the entire city is going to be buzzing with celebration. The bonding ceremony will likely be the most attended event this century! The only thing that could even compare to this would be a royal wedding.”

“Iggs. The reason why I’m not freaking out is because this is another one of his chosen familiars. His magic chose whoever it is for a reason. This is the best outcome we could hope for.” Gladio responded.

“You know that isn’t what I meant! It’s a great thing that Noctis found a familiar. The problem is that we have no idea how the nobles are going to handle it. It was one thing when it was just you and me, but this is the first time in a long time that the political climate is going to experience a change. That and you know very well that Noctis was heading to the abandon part of town. Who knows what kind of characters he could have encountered out there? ” Ignis sighed. “That and who knows what the rest of the nobles are going to try to do about it. You experienced their poor attempts at bribery before. I worry that Noct’s newest familiar will not be prepared for the reality of serving the Royal Family.” 

 “The way I see it is that as long as we continue to do our jobs everything will turn out okay. Besides, the most important thing is that Noctis is okay with them. With our help guiding the newest addition everything should be alright. As long as they get along that is the most important thing I care about, and in the event that they don’t hit it off, that we are there to support and protect Noct.” Gladio explained as he put his hand on Ignis’ shoulder. 

“I know that...” Ignis mumbled. It seemed that he was about to say something else, but he stopped, in the sky he spotted a familiar form. “Noct is almost here. He’s about to land any second now. I can feel that he’s with the one, but I don’t see him anywhere....” 

“Let’s not stand here! Time to find out what Noctis has in store for us!” Gladio said with a smirk as he made his way towards where the Prince was landing. 

❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦

In the sky the Prince did his best to warn Prompto about his two other familiars and about the situation he would be living with should he decide to proceed with the Familiar’s Contract. For the most part the tiny kitten in his arms was quiet. It had taken him a while to notice the reason why. The kitten was clinging onto the Prince’s coat for dear life. It was only then that he had put together Prompto’s fear of heights and the fact that the kitten in his arms had fainted. Well he would just have to explain things when he woke up. 

When he landed a block away from the Kenny the Crow meeting place, he was surprised to see that Galdio and Ignis were already running towards him.  So much for meeting at the actual meeting place. Still it didn’t change the fact that before anything else they needed to get Prompto back to the Citadel. That would be the best place for him to regain consciousness and maybe get a decent change of clothes after a bath. 

“Hey.” Noctis said to his familiars. “Hope you weren’t waiting long for me...” 

“Nonsense. Now where is our new guest? I thought you were bringing them with you.” Ignis insisted. He was slightly irritated that he couldn’t figure out where their guest was.  He had yet to notice the bundle of golden fur in the prince’s arms as he was looking for a full-sized person.

“Well...” Noctis began before he was cut off by Gladio’s laughter.

“That golden fuzz ball is what all the fuss is about?” Gladio chuckled. “Tiny little fella, isn’t he? Are you sure he’s going to be alright? Doesn’t look like he’s awake at the moment.”

“Yeah...About that...He’s a were-cat.” Noctis responded. “It took me by surprise when he suddenly turned into a boy around my height. Still a bit on the small side though. His name is Prompto.”

“If he had shifted into a human form then why is he asleep in kitten form now?” Ignis inquired with worry. 

“He passed out when I took flight. Guess I didn’t realize he had a phobia of heights until he had already fainted.  For now, I think it would be best if we headed back. Father will want to know that I found them, and I bed Prompto would much prefer to wake up on a nice soft bed.” The Prince explained. 

“At once your highness.” Ignis responded. “I shall inform the King. It would be best if you returned to your chambers in the meantime. I would imagine that Regis will surely want to meet our new companion here. ”

“I guess it is just you and me for now, Noct. I’ll keep watch over the Prince and our new little sleeping friend here for now.” Gladio smirked. “Good luck, Iggy.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto is finally awake! Now he gets to meet Noct's other familiars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter. I tried to write more, but it just seemed better to use it for the next chapter. ^^;

Prompto couldn’t remember the last time he felt this comfortable. It was like a nice fluffy cloud was giving him a warm embrace. After all of the things he had been through it was as if he had died and gone to heaven! He pulled the blanket tighter around him and tried to get back to sleep.

Voices in the room drew him out of his slumber. Everything that had happened that day flashed through his mind. The meeting with Noctis, the talks about the creepy guy following him, and then being taken for a flight by the prince. The last thing that he remembered was looking down at the ground and feeling queezy. Prompto sat up quickly from the bed he had been placed in when he realized that he had no idea where he was. 

“Well well, it looks like the little kitten boy is awake now.” A deep unfamiliar voice said. 

“Prompto? Are you feeling any better?” Noctis asked full of concern. 

Prompto took a few seconds to scan around the massive room before returning his attention to Noctis. “Uh....Yeah. I’m fine. Where are we?” He asked with a hint of hesitation. 

“We’re in my room, Prompto. When you passed out, I had no idea what to do so I brought you here.” Noctis answered. 

“So, does that mean we’re inside the Citadel already?” Prompto murmured to himself. “Wow.....I figured that this place is huge, but this room is bigger than I could even imagine. If your room is this big then I wonder how extravagant the royal family’s rooms could be.” 

Gladio tried his best to muffle a laugh. Apparently, his attempt wasn’t good enough because the Prince soon used one of his wings to smack him. Noctis had already explained to his friend that he hadn’t told the blonde that he was Prince of Insomnia yet, and that Prompto hadn’t seemed to have put two and two together yet.

“Before I forget the big guy here is Gladio. He’s one of my familiars that I wanted you to meet.” Noctis gestured to the huge man standing next to him. “He might look big and scary, but he’s a nice guy once you get to know him. He’s a shifter type like you. When he’s not in human form he takes the shape of a giant rock griffin. “

“Nice to meet ya, sunshine.” Gladio said as he extended a hand towards Prompto. 

Nervously the cat boy took Gladio’s hand. Prompto’s little golden ears had flattened into his golden locks as his tails thrashed about behind him. He had yet to really take in everything yet, but if Noct seems okay with him then he must be alright. 

“H-Hello.” The cat boy squeaked out. His voice broke as he spoke. 

“So Noct here tells me that you’re considering his offer to become his familiar.” Gladio smiled. “Just wanted to say that we’d welcome you with open arms here. Ignis and I have been Noct’s guardian familiars for almost as long as we can remember. As long as you’re not here to hurt Noct then I think we’ll get along just fine.”

“I -uh Thanks?” Prompto replied. It was a lot to take in from someone he had just literally met.  “So, uh...Noct’s other familiar is called Ignis? What is he like?” Prompto asked nervously. 

“Iggy?” Noctis said. “He’s kind of like a mother and a big brother all in the same package. Iggy might come off as aloof sometimes, but he is the most tender and caring out of all of us.”

“Also, probably one of the smartest people in all of Insomnia.” Gladio chimed in with a grin. 

“You’ll be meeting him soon enough, so don’t worry too much about it. He’s a nice guy.” Noctis smiled. 

From there their conversation moved on to how Prompto and Noctis met. They filled Gladio in about the strange events that had been happening in the slums, as well as Prompto’s stalker possibly being involved. Gladio was taken back by the tale. Sure, there were rumors of weird stuff happening in the slums, but he never expected that the situation was actually much worse than the rumors made it out to be. 

“Sounds like you have had it rough, Prompto.” Gladio said with a sigh. “I never would have realized something like that was going on in the slums.”

Prompto wished that he could say that it was ok, but he couldn’t. “Yeah. Well it isn’t like there are many people who go there, you know?” 

Before their conversation could continue there was a knock on the door. That was when a cloaked individual entered the room. His hood hid most of his face, and his arms were holding several items made of cloth. 

“Ah Iggy. Great timing!” Gladio said as he walked towards Ignis. “Hope the talks went well.” He whispered into Ignis’ ear. 

“I see our young guest is awake now.” Ignis said as he made his way closer to the bed Prompto was on. “Hopefully you do not mind, but I took the liberty of fetching you some new clothes. Noctis had mentioned that you have been living on the run for a while now due to some unfortunate circumstances. I’d imagine that a fresh clean set of clothes will feel wonderful.”

“Thank you.” Prompto replied with a sheepish smile. 

Now that Ignis had moved closer he could make out more of the man’s face.  A large scar covered one side of his face fusing one of his eyes shut. The other eye was a ghostly green. It was obvious that Ignis was completely blind. Whatever caused this must have hurt a lot. 

“I’m sorry if my scars alarmed you. That was not my intention.” Ignis spoke up. 

Prompto almost jumped in surprise. “No! I’m sorry. That was rude of me to stare like I did.”

Ignis chuckled. “Don’t worry. I take no offense.”

“Still for what it is worth I’m sorry, and I shouldn’t have done that.” Prompto replied. 

Ignis smiled with an amused look on his face. He had never met anyone like the boy in front of him before. No one had ever apologized to him like that before, and meant every word of it. 

“Now, allow us to give you some privacy while you change your clothes.” Ignis stated with a smile. “We will be waiting right outside of the door, so just call us when you are decent. After that we can continue getting to know each other better. I am sure you have many questions about what a familiar contract entails.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long to come out. I kept on changing my mind on how I wanted to explain the familiar's pact. I have re-written this chapter like 9 times before I finally decided to up load this. Its not the most exciting chapter, but hopefully you still enjoy it. °˖ ✧◝(○ ヮ ○)◜✧˖ °

It didn’t take long for  Prompto to change his clothes. This was a huge upgrade compared to the rags he was wearing before.  Prompto couldn’t even remember the last time he wore a shirt and pants without holes  all over it .  He was amazed with how comfortable the new outfit was. It was as if it was tailor made for him to wear. It even had holes in the back of the pants for his tails to slip through. 

Prompto couldn’t resist taking a second to look at himself in the mirror. He almost looked like a completely new person. The black shirt and pants combo only brought out his golden hair more. He still couldn’t believe that he was the same person who was living in an abandoned building in rags just a day ago.

Slowly he made his way out of the room to the hallway where Noctis,  Gladio , and Ignis were waiting.  Gladio and Ignis were together on one side of the hallway while Noctis was on the other.  Gladio’s arm was draped loosely around Ignis’ shoulder. The three of them were absorbed in their own conversation. It took them a few moments to realize that  Prompto had left the room. 

“What do you mean you haven’t told him yet?” Ignis demanded. “He does have a right to know.”

“I know . I’m planning on telling him, but I am just waiting for the right time.” Noctis responded defensively.

“Ar gu ing about this now isn’t going to change anything.”  Gladio replied. “Besides we have company.”

“Well  well . It looks like the clothes fit perfectly.” Ignis said with a slightly smug smile . “You cleaned up rather nicely..”

“I - Uh...Thank you  for the new clothes.”  Prompto stated as he fiddled with his hands nervously. His face was bright red.

“Looks like you outdid yourself, Specs.” Noctis repled. “ He looks great. It was a good idea to have the tailor edit some of my old clothes.”

“I don’t think I did anything special. All the credit should go to the tailor.” Ignis chuckled. “Anyways...let us move to one of the many conference chambers. There we can discuss the familiar’s binding ceremony  in a more private setting.”

♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠♠

The room that Ignis lead them to was covered in expensive furnishings. There was a large oval table in the center of the room that looked like it was hand carved, and at least 20 chairs around the table. Each chair had a wooden base with a luxurious silky black fabric covering the cushions. The walls were covered with exquisite paintings and decorated floral pieces. 

“Woah.....This room is amazing.” Prompto whispered to himself. 

“If you think this is good, then wait until you see the throne room where the King holds his conferences.”  Gladio laughed. “ This room is actually the smallest meeting room in the castle.”

“ We have more pressing matters to discuss. Idle banter can wait until after.” Ignis reprimanded. 

Noctis rolled his eyes. Ignis was always so serious about everything. Sometimes the prince was amazed that Ignis hadn’t snapped from the high standard he held himself to.

“Prom? How much exactly do you know about a familiar’s pact?” Noctis asked. 

“Not much, I’m afraid.”  Prompto shrugged. “Just what they say on the street really. I know it usually involves a blood pact and that the magic of the ‘master’ is shared with the familiars through the bond they form , b ut that basically is it.”

“What a simplistic understanding.” Ignis responded. “There is a great deal more to pact making than that. Although, I suppose, even a limited understanding is better than nothing.” He sighed before he began to explain the process in depth. 

_ The familiar’s pact was a special ritual that bonded two or more people together. The pact giver or the ‘master’ would initiate the pact by reciting a magical incantation and vow of something they would provide the ‘familiar’. Should the familiar accept the terms of the vow they would hold their hand out to their ‘master’ and using a ceremonial knife would make a small prick size cut to the palm of the hand, and the master would follow suit and do the same to their own hand.  At this point the ‘master’ would bestow a ‘True name’ to the familiar, and the pact will be sealed when their hands join together and their blood is mixed. Magic would link the two together, and stabilize accordingly. The union of their blood will produce two small gems. One for each party of the ritual. The gems can be customized into a piece of jewelry that both parties will keep on their person. With the gems the pact makers will always have a way to check on the status of the other via their magical bond via the quality of the gem.  A clear gem meant that the other party was in good health and spirit. A cloudy gem meant that they were far apart. A blackened gem meant that they were in trouble and hurt. A cracked gem meant that the pact has been broken or death.  _ _ However, should the pact be broken forcefully the magic that  _ _ binded _ _ them together will run rampant and attack the familiar, and the ‘master’ could fall into insanity. _

_ “ _ Wow that is a lot to take in.”  Prompto replied after Ignis had finished his explanation.  There was so much more to the pact than what he originally thought. 

“Don’t stress over it.” Noctis replied. “It actually is quite a simple process. It just sounds worse when you try and explain it.”

“The whole ritual can be finished in less than five minutes.”  Gladio added in. 

“Still...It is better to have a complete understanding of what you’re getting into.” Ignis remarked. “Pacts are something that should not be taken lightly, or on a whim. There can be serious consequences to breaking a pact.”

Before the conversation could continue further, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. 

“Prince Noctis. Your father wishes to meet with you and your new familiar. Please bring them to the throne room as soon as you can.” The voice said from beyond the door. 

“P-P-P-Prince!?”  Prompto stuttered. “You’re the prince!?”  Prompto couldn’t even process what he had just heard.  Sure he knew Noctis must be a noble, and hell the name Noctis was pretty common in Insomnia. He just had assumed that  Noct was the child of a noble, but it hadn’t even occurred to him that Noctis would be the Prince himself. 


End file.
